Personnel Analysis: Roster Cuts 2.0

Competition was stiff to make the Vikings' opening-day 53-man roster this season. Here's continued analysis of players who did not make the final cut.

The Vikings announced the release of the following players today:

QB Brooks Bollinger – The proven, experienced, veteran leadership of Gus Frerotte in a backup role to Tarvaris Jackson tilted the need from the No. 3 quarterback to be someone with more upside potential.Bollinger has enough experience and exposure to know full well what he’s capable of.Unfortunately, he just didn’t play that well when given opportunities this summer to beat out the rookie, John David Booty.

RB Albert Young – Statistically the most productive runner for the Vikings in preseason, with 127 yards on 39 carries (3.3 avg.).Shows some burst and running skills and can catch the ball, but doesn’t really stand out with any truly special qualities.Has some potential as a No. 3 back and could find a spot on the practice squad.

WR Jaymar Johnson – Shows a lot of potential on punt returns and some upside as a big-play receiver, but still needs a lot of work with the finer points as a receiver and could use a year in an NFL weight room to add some strength.Excellent practice squad candidate.

WR Darius Reynaud – Offers big-time potential on kickoff returns and as a slot receiver with terrific run-after-the-catch ability.As a wide receiver, he is still very, very raw and undeveloped.Could become a very effective player down the road with a year in the system to learn the nuances of the pro game.Kind of a running back playing wide receiver at this point.

OG Brian Daniels – A bubble guy a year ago, he is still eligible for the practice squad too.He essentially was beaten out by Drew Radovich and Tim Mattran, who appear to offer a bit more versatility.Daniels, more of a pure guard-only-type, is steady but does not stand out or dominate.He’s a smart, capable technician, however, who could still develop a bit but is probably never going to be a quality starter.

OL Tim Mattran – An ankle injury derailed his full chance at making the opening day roster.Mattran has some athletic limitation but is big, strong, smart as a whip and very versatile, able to play virtually all five spots along the offensive line.A center mostly in college, he more than held his own at guard and even left tackle during the preseason.His hometown ties make him a good practice squad candidate.

DL Leger Douzable – Showed flashes early and is a big man with the versatility to play inside or be an anchor end.There were just too many better players ahead of him to stick, but would be a solid practice squad prospect.

DE Martail Burnett – Shows good initial quickness off the snap but needs to develop his techniques beyond that.Isn’t ready to be very productive against top-flight competition but has some upside.Definitely worth some time in development on the practice squad because of his pass-rush potential.

LB JLeman – Classic, productive, all-out, intense, overachiever with average physical tools for the pro level.Could eventually develop into a Heath Farwell-type player but didn’t show many flashes in the reps he got during preseason action.

S Dee McCann – College corner who moved inside to safety when his speed and cover ability were a plus.Showed some flashes of both good plays and rookie-type mistakes with positioning and pursuit angles.Physical, aggressive player with above-average physical tools.Still has practice squad eligibility but may not have a lot of upside left from what he’s already shown.

CB Marcus Walker – Tough, and feisty with some upside as a practice squad prospect, but not consistent enough to merit a spot on the opening-day roster at this point.Has the right tools for the Cover-2 scheme and might be worth developing.

K Steven Hauschka – If the Vikings didn’t already have the proven and reliable Ryan Longwell, Hauschka would have made it.He can kick in the NFL right now and will likely get snapped up a la Chris Kluwe by someone.

Note:LB David Herron was NOT on the official list of players released by the Vikings.

QB Brooks Bollinger – The proven, experienced, veteran leadership of Gus Frerotte in a backup role to Tarvaris Jackson tilted the need from the No. 3 quarterback to be someone with more upside potential.Bollinger has enough experience and exposure to know full well what he’s capable of.Unfortunately, he just didn’t play that well when given opportunities this summer to beat out the rookie, John David Booty.

RB Albert Young – Statistically the most productive runner for the Vikings in preseason, with 127 yards on 39 carries (3.3 avg.).Shows some burst and running skills and can catch the ball, but doesn’t really stand out with any truly special qualities.Has some potential as a No. 3 back and could find a spot on the practice squad.

WR Jaymar Johnson – Shows a lot of potential on punt returns and some upside as a big-play receiver, but still needs a lot of work with the finer points as a receiver and could use a year in an NFL weight room to add some strength.Excellent practice squad candidate.

WR Darius Reynaud – Offers big-time potential on kickoff returns and as a slot receiver with terrific run-after-the-catch ability.As a wide receiver, he is still very, very raw and undeveloped.Could become a very effective player down the road with a year in the system to learn the nuances of the pro game.Kind of a running back playing wide receiver at this point.

OG Brian Daniels – A bubble guy a year ago, he is still eligible for the practice squad too.He essentially was beaten out by Drew Radovich and Tim Mattran, who appear to offer a bit more versatility.Daniels, more of a pure guard-only-type, is steady but does not stand out or dominate.He’s a smart, capable technician, however, who could still develop a bit but is probably never going to be a quality starter.

OL Tim Mattran – An ankle injury derailed his full chance at making the opening day roster.Mattran has some athletic limitation but is big, strong, smart as a whip and very versatile, able to play virtually all five spots along the offensive line.A center mostly in college, he more than held his own at guard and even left tackle during the preseason.His hometown ties make him a good practice squad candidate.

DL Leger Douzable – Showed flashes early and is a big man with the versatility to play inside or be an anchor end.There were just too many better players ahead of him to stick, but would be a solid practice squad prospect.

DE Martail Burnett – Shows good initial quickness off the snap but needs to develop his techniques beyond that.Isn’t ready to be very productive against top-flight competition but has some upside.Definitely worth some time in development on the practice squad because of his pass-rush potential.

LB JLeman – Classic, productive, all-out, intense, overachiever with average physical tools for the pro level.Could eventually develop into a Heath Farwell-type player but didn’t show many flashes in the reps he got during preseason action.

S Dee McCann – College corner who moved inside to safety when his speed and cover ability were a plus.Showed some flashes of both good plays and rookie-type mistakes with positioning and pursuit angles.Physical, aggressive player with above-average physical tools.Still has practice squad eligibility but may not have a lot of upside left from what he’s already shown.

CB Marcus Walker – Tough, and feisty with some upside as a practice squad prospect, but not consistent enough to merit a spot on the opening-day roster at this point.Has the right tools for the Cover-2 scheme and might be worth developing.

K Steven Hauschka – If the Vikings didn’t already have the proven and reliable Ryan Longwell, Hauschka would have made it.He can kick in the NFL right now and will likely get snapped up a la Chris Kluwe by someone.

Note:LB David Herron was NOT on the official list of players released by the Vikings.